ICC BASIS at the UN to highlight the driving role of Digital connectivity to meet the 2030 Agenda

  • 21 October 2015
ICC Digital

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) spoke at the United Nations General Assembly President’s stakeholder consultation on the review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

ICC BASIS spoke at the United Nations General Assembly President’s stakeholder consultation on the review of WSIS in New York on 19-22 October to share the priorities for global business in ensuring the Internet and information communication technology (ICT) innovation can deliver on their potential to drive sustainable economic and social growth.

Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud, Director of the ICC initiative BASIS led the delegation of BASIS members striving to strengthen cooperation among all information and communication technology stakeholders and to ensure that the Internet governance community works collectively to maintain full transparency in the discussions and processes that contribute to the formulation of Internet related policy.

December 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the WSIS which aimed to bridge the global digital divide by improving access to the Internet and its benefits in the developing world. ICC BASIS and its cross sector membership of businesses and associations from around the world were active contributors both during the WSIS Summits which took place in Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) and in post-WSIS processes and forums.

Since June 2015 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has been conducting a review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes which will conclude with a two-day high-level meeting of the General Assembly to take place at UN Headquarters in New York on 15-16 December.

To be an effective driver of sustainable growth, the digital economy must be supported by interoperable policy approaches which reduce unnecessary frictions between borders, protect consumers and citizens and avoid unintended consequences such as those that act as barriers to trade.

With the UNGA high-level meeting in sight, ICC BASIS will stress the imperative of enabling the unrealised potential of ICTs to move society towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and highlight the ways in which the private sector has remained deeply engaged – investing and innovating in these advancements. Underscoring the renewal of the Internet governance forum (IGF) mandate as crucial to preserve a vibrant, global, multistakeholder policy dialogue on Internet governance, ICC BASIS recommends the IGF mandate be open-ended or extended through 2030 to align with the UN SDGs.

Together with the Republic of Korea Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) ICC held a meeting today for a hundred delegates, legal experts and business members to examine e-commerce in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event aims to enhance awareness of the significance of the digital economy and dispute resolution, especially in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

“To be an effective driver of sustainable growth, the digital economy must be supported by interoperable policy approaches which reduce unnecessary frictions between borders, protect consumers and citizens and avoid unintended consequences such as those that act as barriers to trade,” said Ms Thomas-Raynaud.

Featuring opening remarks by Oh Joon, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations and Miguel de Serpa Soares, Legal Counsel of the United Nations, the panel sessions will see discussions on how to maximize the potential of the digital economy to advance the SDGs as well as cogitation on new and emerging legal and economic issues and the importance of considering interoperability.

BASIS members Carolyn Nguyen (Director, Technology Policy, Microsoft Corporation), Jacqueline Ruff (Vice President – International, Verizon), Ellen Blackler (Vice President, Global Public Policy, The Walt Disney Company) and Robert Pepper (Technology Policy & Internet Governance, Cisco Systems) on the panels are joined by Raúl Echeberría (Vice President of Global Engagement, Internet Society), Chantal Line Carpentier (Chief, UNCTAD New York Office), Renaud Sorieul (Secretary, UNCITRAL), Patrizio Civili (Permanent Observer, International Development Law Organization), Ursula Wynhoven (Chief, Governance and Social Sustainability, and  General Counsel, UN Global Compact) and Mark Beckett (Partner, Head of International Arbitration Group, Chadbourne and Parke LLP, Chair of the United States Council for International Business, Arbitration Committee and former US Member to the ICC International Court of Arbitration).